Weekly Update - 21 February |
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On Monday, our Prime Minister Keir Starmer attended an emergency summit with European leaders in Paris to discuss the security of Ukraine and Europe as a whole. We are facing a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of our continent. Securing a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty for the long term is essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression in the future. This is the moment for us all to step up, and the UK will do so because it is the right thing to do, and because it is crucial to our own national security. You can read Keir Starmer’s article in The Telegraph here. |
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This week, our Labour Government met our manifesto pledge of delivering two million extra NHS appointments – seven months early. These include appointments for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests as the government delivers its first steps to fix our health service. Since Labour were elected in July 2024, hospital waiting lists have been falling consistently. University Hospitals Birmingham has cut waiting lists by almost 5%, twice the rate of the rest of the country over the same period. We know the job isn’t done. Our government is determined to go further and faster to deliver more appointments, faster treatment, and a National Health Service that the British public deserve. Read more here. |
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On Tuesday, we launched a consultation on Great British Railways so that we can create a unified, simplified rail network that will put passengers first, raise living standards and boost growth.
Part of the government’s plans include setting up a new rail watchdog to give passengers a voice and hold railways to account. We will also be giving devolved leaders more of a say on the services that directly impact their towns and cities, working together to integrate transport, making it simpler to travel and attracting more people to our railways. Read more and have your say on the future of our railways here. |
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Too many people have tragically died because of knife crime. On Wednesday, the Home Secretary announced that the government is introducing stricter rules for online retailers selling knives, along with tougher penalties for failing to the enforce them. Ronan Kanda was tragically killed in Wolverhampton in a knife attack in 2022 – his killers were under 18 and had been able to buy deadly knifes and swords online. Ronan’s Law’, introduced in memory of Ronan Kanda will require retailers to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives on their platforms to police to prevent illegal resales happening across social media accounts.
The government is also increasing the sentence for selling weapons to under 18s from 6 months to up to 2 years prison time. Read my full speech on tackling knife crime in the West Midlands here. |
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NHS dentistry has been left broken after years of neglect, with patients left in pain without appointments, or queueing around the block just to be seen. Our Labour Government is delivering on our manifesto commitment to roll out 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments across the country, benefitting hundreds of thousands of patients. NHS England has written to integrated care boards (ICB) across the country, directing health chiefs in each region to stand up thousands of urgent appointments over the next year. “Dental deserts”, where patients struggle to get appointments, are being targeted. Read more here. |
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Violence Against Women and Girls |
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To deliver on our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, our Labour Government has launched Raneem's Law to embed the first domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms. Raneem’s Law was established in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in August 2018. There were 13 reports made to the police about concerns for Raneem’s safety, but no arrests were made. On the night she was killed, she rang 999 four times, but the police did not respond in time.
I’m glad that West Midlands Police is one of the five forces pioneering this new approach. Read more here. |
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Arts and Culture Announcement |
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Arts and culture are enjoyed by people across our country and make a huge contribution to our economy. I welcome the Government's announcement of over £270 million to support hundreds of arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector. Read more here. It’s also great news that regional growth and regeneration will get a much-needed boost as 10 major culture projects across the UK will receive more than £67 million in Government funding. This includes investment in our region: £5 million for City Centre Cultural Gateway in Coventry, that will support the repurposing of the former IKEA building in Coventry city centre to become a new cultural and visitor attraction. £2.3 million to three cultural projects in Worcester, these three projects will deliver new cultural and public spaces around the Scala arts venue
Read more here. |
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The price of baby formula is soaring, with the cheapest brand shooting up by 45% in just two years, way above inflation. This means, on average, a single tin costs an eye-watering £12, making it difficult for struggling families to feed their infants. It was great to see that the Competition and Markets Authority has said parents should be allowed to use vouchers and loyalty points to buy infant formula, a win for the Metro and charity Feed’s Formula for Change campaign.
I backed the campaign to update the legislation that currently prohibits parents and carers from using cash equivalent methods, such as Nectar, Tesco Clubcard and Boots loyalty points, store gift cards, or grocery vouchers provided by foodbanks and local authorities, to purchase infant formula. Read my op-ed supporting the Formula for Change campaign here. |
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As Parliamentary Group Chair of the Co-operative Party, it was great to take part in a session on the history of the co-operative movement and its relationship with the Labour Party. Thank you to all who attended. |
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Welcoming Exceptional Funding Support for Birmingham |
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Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in Europe, has been decimated by budget cuts under the Conservatives. Since 2010, the council has been stripped of £1 billion and as a result, residents have had to suffer cuts to vital services. Our Labour government is committed to working in partnership with councils and protecting the interests of local residents. I'm glad that our Labour Government has announced this week that Birmingham City Council, along with 29 other councils, will be receiving additional financial support through the Exceptional Financial Support process. Birmingham has been provided with an in-principle capitalisation for 24/25 of £490m and 25/26 of £180m, which will help the council recover from the financial challenges it faces.
It's also welcome news that for the first time, additional expectations have been set to protect treasured community assets, culture and identity, with councils using capitalisation instructed not to dispose of community and heritage assets.
Dudley Road Walkabout |
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On Tuesday, I joined Winson Green and Ladywood Police teams, Cllr Sharon Thompson and local community representatives on a walkabout on Dudley Road in North Edgbaston. I have had constituents contact me raising issues with crime, antisocial behaviour, flytipping and parking. I look forward to working with residents and the council to bring vital investment in the local area. Speed Van Announcement |
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Since I was elected as an MP, improving road safety has been a priority. I'm glad that thanks to my campaigning for tougher speeding measures, Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has committed to doubling the region's fleet of mobile speed camera vans. Read more here. Regional Energy Strategy |
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The Mayor, Richard Parker, has launched a new Regional Energy Strategy for the West Midlands, which will help our region become a national leader in smart energy.
The strategy outlines the powers and funding needed to introduce cutting-edge technology that will transform the way energy is generated, stored and used. This is another step towards a new era of cleaner, more resilient and cheaper energy and will support the transition to net zero. Read more here. Potholes |
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Kenrick Centre It’s very disappointing news that the Kenrick Centre in Harborne, which supports adults with various needs and is a vital step-down service to support discharges from hospital, may close down. I have asked the council to retain the service by pooling resources with NHS partners locally. You can read my full letter here. Missed Bins
Constituents have contacted me to say that their bin collections have been missed. You can report missed collections here. MHWC
Next week, the MHWC will be visiting Leigham Drive in Quinton, B17 8AT, on Monday 24th February, and Hermitage Road in Edgbaston, B15 3UP, on Friday 28th February. The centre will be open between 7:30am and 1:00pm, so please do come along if you have bulky household waste to dispose of. |
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Preet Kaur Gill MP Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton Promoted by David Evans on behalf of the Labour Party, 20 Rushworth Street, London SE1 0SS |
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Follow Preet Kaur Gill MP | |
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